Overshoe for horses and other hoofed animals.



0. H. BENNETT. OVBRSHOE FOR HORSES AND OTHER HOOFED ANIMALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB .18, 1909. v Patented Dec. 28

WITNESSES:

M l. .WYLLUAIQ.

, To all whom it may concern:

CHARLES H. nnnnn'rr, or

DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

OVERSHOE FOB, HORSES AND OTHER HOOFED ANIMALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, moo.

Application filed February 18, 1909. Serial No. 478,648.

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BENNETT, a citizen of the "United States,residing at Dalton, in the county of Berkshire and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOvershoes for Horses and other Hoofed Animals, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates to a detachable overshoe adapted to preventslipping on ice, asphalt, and other slippery surfaces, and comprises atread portion with means for securing the same on the foot. The treadportion is preferably .composed of a plurality of jointed or movablyconnected members forming a flexible, open structure which extendsacross the bottom of the foot. A preferred form of rigid calks,operating as contact members and designed to afford greater durabilityand improved gripping or penetrative qualities over the present form offlexible overshoe treads, are incorporated into the tread structure atpoints where contact is deemed most essential or especiallyadvantageous. The flexible quality of the tread operates to break upsnow or other substances tending to adhere to and ball in the cavity ofthe hoof. Suitable construction is provided in that portion of the treadspanning the frog to prevent injury thereof. The tread portion isflexibly supported in position, and prevented from forward, rearward,downward, or lateral displacement, by adjustable means provided on thehoof, preferably in the form of a band composed of flexibly connectedelements secured about the wall of the hoof in such manner as not tohave any direct bearing upon sensitive portions of the foot or ankle,the band and the tread portion being united by separate jointedconnections distributed around the sides of the hoof.

Having thus described the general character and purpose of my invention,I will proceed to describe a specific useful form of embodiment thereof,in connection withthe accompanying drawings, whercin'-- Figure 1 is aside view showinga 1100f provided with an ordinary horseshoe, and.having my improved tread and securing means in place thereon; Fig. 2 isa bottom view of the same; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 2, showing amodified construction of the tread; Fig. 4 is a detail cross-sectionalView of the toe calk, on the line a-b of Fig. i 6; Fig. 5 is a frontview of the toe calk;

,of the heel calks.

The contactmembers, jointed to form flexible tread connections, areshown as sharpened calks 1, 2, which may be briefly designated, for thepurpose of convenience, as the toe and heel calks, respectively, theformer extending preferably wholly across the bottom of the foot andpositioned forwardly of the region of maximum -width thereof, the latterbeing disposed rearwardly of said region across the edges of the hoof,preferably in diagonal positions. Each of theicalks is connected to acommon link 3, which is relatively flat and otherwise proportioned andarranged to protect the frog 4 from injury, by separate jointedelements, which are shown as links 5 and adapted to serve as auxiliarycontacts. It should be observed that the link 3 may be of a differentformation or immediately jointed to the several calks, without theinterposition of an additional element as shown and designed to improvethe flexibility of the tread primarily, in conjunction with thefunctions above described, and that the links 5 may be otherwiseconstructed and connected or increased in number, as a series ofarticulated elements: the essential purpose embodied in the tread beingto provide a flexible, open structure comprising my improved contactfacilities. The tread is preferably supported in posi tion by a band 6,removably secured around the wall of the hoof and provided at fourpoints with depending chains 7 8, two on each side of the hoof, whichare attached at their lower ends to the calks 1, 2. The band 6 is shownas composed of a series'of interlinked relatively -movable linksextending arotlnd the heel of the hoof and forwardly on either side ofthe wall thereof to points over the toe calk 1, in connection with atoeloop or strap 9, provided with a buckle 10;

disposed across the front of the hoof and uniting the ends of the chainportion of the band. The band is provided on each side Qof the hoof, atthe points of attachment of the chains 7, with a preferred form of link11 having a triangular formation and on ga ed at one of 1ts angles bythe terminal 1in: in the band 6, on the corresponding side of the hoof,at another of its angles by the terminal link at the upper end of chain7, andat the side opposite the first-men:

tioned angle by the strap 9, thus serving as a common medium for theinterconnection of said parts. The angles of the link engaged by thechains are preferably madev acute so that the side common to both of theangles may assume an upward inclination. This construction andarrangement of the link 11 prevents forward, rearward and downwarddisplacement of the chain 7, forward, upward and downward displacementof the strap 9, and rearward, upward and downward displacement of thechain por-.

tion of the band, at this point. The heel chain 8 is suspended from theband 6 at a point'directlyover the heel call: 2, on either side of thehoof, the terminal link of the whereby the chain 8 is prevented from forchain 8 and the link provided by the band at this point being mutuallyinterlinked,

ward, rearward and downward displacement and maintained in anormalspaced position with relation to the chain 7. The band .6 shouldbe seated well down in the notches formed at the heel on either side ofby the natural. expansion of the hoof wall and the projecting ends ofthe shoe 12, and

from upward displacement by the tread connections 7, 8, and the rearwardextension of the heel or heels of the hoof.

, The calks 1, 2, are shown as solid, rigid b odies," preferably oftempered steel having an even top or supporting surface for frictionalengagement with the shoe'12 and a longitudinally concave bottom orwearing surface, the latter being provided at its for- -ward andrearwardv edges with depending extensions in the form of sharpenedwedgelike blades 13, whichare of equal height and serve as contactmembers. In the heel calks 2 said members 13 are substantially identicalthe body in formation and dimensions, while in the toe call: 1 I preferto cut away the endsof the forward member and the central portion of therearward member, whereby the weight of the calk and the liability ofinjury by contact with the opposite leg of the animal is reduced and thefacilities for engagementwith'the link 5 are improved.

Suitableapertures 14 are provided through portions of the several calksfor the reception of the links 5 of the tread and the terminal links atthe lower ends of the side chains 7, 8, the apertures provided in calk 1for engagement'with the chains 7 being near the ends thereof and theaperture therein for engagement with the link 5 of the tread being'at acentral. point, while thosein the calks 2 are provided at or nearpreferably provide suitable recesses"15 to' receive the same by cuttingaway that'portion of the top or supporting surface of the calks betweenthe apertures 14 and the outer edges lying within the field of play 'of'the v link. By this provision the several calks may be drawn whollywithin the outermargin of the hoof, if necessary, and their posi:

tions adjusted with reference to the shoe or.

edges of the hoof without interference of the engaging links.

The toe calk 1 is preferably. made less in length than the maximum widthof the hoof so that the engagementof the chains 7 with 4 the expandingmargin of the hoof or sides of the shoe will supplement the operativefunction of the link 11 preventing rearward displacement of the calk. p1 As ainodified form of construction coming within the spirit of myinvention Ifsubv stitute, 1n place of'the calk- 1, two separate calks-16 constructed after the patternof. I

calk's 2 and disposed across, the, edges of the hoof or bottom of theshoe ,in diagonal positions, and by the provision of a series of chains18, 19, connectin the several calks to a common central-'lin 17 ofmodified construction. The tread thus construct-' ed is composed offlexible elements, each movable relatively to any other,- and issupported by the band 6 in the manner previ ously described. Thediagonal position of Y the calks 2 tends to prevent lateral slipping orsliding of the foot, and the substitution of similar calksfor therelatively rigid form of calk l stren 'thens this tendency in additionto increasing the flexibility of the tread.

I am aware that other forms of flexible treads comprising. contactmembers have heretofore been invented, but'the value of these devices isalmost wholly confined to their use. as anti-slipping means,par'ticularly where there are no special gripping 'facilities providedunder the toe, which are openflexible tread composed of a pluralityof'articulated elements, of a contact member -movable relatively to thehoofahd lhavin'g a solid body-portionprovided with a depending calk. i

pa rticularly y y chiefly useful and necessaryin heavy draft work oriZIZLVBlIH up an inclined surface,

2. In; overshoes. a tread composed of a E plurality of flexiblyconnected elements ini cludinga contact member provided with a pluralityof wedge-like calk's arranged in parallel. g

3. In over-shoes, an open, flexible tread i comprising a pluralitgofmovably connect- I ed contact members, each of which members is flexiblysupported on the hoof and provided with a solid vbody-portion having aplurality of spaced contacts tending to engage the surface trod upon.

4. A tread of spaced-chain structure comj prising a plurality of contactmembers distributed around the margin of the hoof, each of said membershavm a solid bodyportion provided with a p urality of dependingcontact-s. I

5. A flexible tread for horses, etc., extend: ing across the hoof andover the edges there- 1 of and comprising a plurality of articulated.elements including a contact member having a rigid body-portion providedwith a depending calk disposed across the hoof forwardly of the regionof maximum width.

' posed of a plurality of articulated elements movable relatively toeach other and com- (i. A tread of open, flexible structure comeachprovided with a plurality of calks and distributed around the margin ofthe hoof, and means for flexibly supporting the tread in position on thehoof.

8. In over-shoes, a tread comprising a plurality of movably connectedcontact members each having a solid body-portion and a dependingwedge-like calk, in combination with means for flexibly supporting thetread on the hoof.

9. In farriery, a contact member having Z a longitudinal body-portion,spaced contacts depending-from the bodyortion, and means provided ateither end 0 the body-portion for forming a' jointed connection with asupport.

10. In an overshoe, the combination with a tread comprising a pluralityof chains radiatmg from a common locus located centrally of theunderside of the hoof, and means provided on the wall of the hoof forthe support of the tread, of contact members 'connecting the tread withsaid supporting.

means and arranged across the margin of the hoof, each of said'contactmembers having a solid body-portion and a call: dependin from thebody-portion.

11 testimony whereof I hereto atfix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.-

' I-GnARLEsH. BENNETT.

Witnesses c Jno'. JI-WH TtLEwY;

WmmaM'EBAeo, 1

